On paper, Saturday's road game against Nicholls State is one
the Bearkats are favored in, as a nationally ranked FCS team going against a
Nicholls squad whose only win this season came against Evangel, a private
liberal arts university with just over 2,000 students.

But football games are never played on paper, usually grass
or turf - a field of some sort. The Nicholls game is unique because it's the
first 3-4 defensive set SHSU faces all season. So far, the SHSU opponents have
presented similar 4-3 fronts, some more successful than others.

The Colonels haven't had much success this season, nor has
their luck against Sam Houston been great historically (11-15 all-time, last
Nicholls victory against SHSU in 2005). Still, they present a wrinkle for the
defending Southland Conference champions.

"Nicholls,
obviously they're not known in the conference as a powerful team, but I think their
scheme on defense is a real challenge for us," SHSU running back Ryan Wilson
said. "Their three-down front is going to free up some backers for our linemen.
When you watch them on film, they play extremely hard. They're well-coached,
disciplined; they have big guys up front that can cause some problems.

"On
paper it's not the most impressive team, but when you actually turn on the
film, watch them and study them, they're actually a lot better than expected."

With it being the first time the Bearkats face a 3-4, the
main adjustment is restructuring blocking schemes. Nicholls will sometimes show
a four-man front, but even with three down they'll bring pressure with a fourth
and fifth guy, too.

SHSU head coach Willie Fritz said the defenders come from
different angles and leverage, which could disrupt the offensive flow if the
Bearkats don't respond appropriately.

"You've got to be assignment-sound with these guys," Fritz
said. "If you're not assignment-sound, they're going to get a bunch of minus
plays."

That's what happened to SHSU last season in a 47-7 blowout
against Nicholls. The Bearkats were up, 24-0, at halftime but struggled
offensively until the second quarter. Fortunately for SHSU, Nicholls couldn't
get out of its own way. The Colonels coughed up the ball in three interceptions
and two fumbles.

"We really didn't play very well offensively last year, but
we played lights out on defense and in the kicking game and it looks like we
blew them out," Fritz said. "We had a hard time moving the ball for the whole
first half, but they had five turnovers."

Fritz described the matchup with Nicholls as "a real thinking
game" on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Colonels run a variety of
shifts and motion in their formation, trading the tight ends and trying to
create a mismatch within the defense.

At this point, the game becomes mental for the Bearkats. The
team won't do much physically leading up until Saturday night.

What SHSU wants to get out of this game, aside from a win, is
to maintain a level of consistency. Fritz said Sam Houston hasn't played a
solid four quarters yet, only performing well in spurts.

That observation traces back to the Baylor game when the Bearkats
weren't nearly as poised in the second half as they had been in the first half
when they built a 20-10 lead. The next week, SHSU dropped a tough one against
Central Arkansas after giving up back-to-back touchdowns in the waning minutes
of the game - the first conference loss for the Bearkats since November 2010.

Even with a 51-43 win against Stephen F. Austin in the Battle
of the Piney Woods last week, SHSU didn't have a first down until the second
quarter, and both teams traded momentum throughout the game.

"We haven't played well consistently and we've got to do
that," Fritz said.

True to their champion form, the Bearkats want to dominate
Nicholls, but they aren't taking the matchup lightly.

Nicholls senior linebacker Jordan Piper leads the defense
with 49 tackles (total) and 1 ½ sacks in four games this season.